My Angel and I
by 1nfiniteAngel
Summary: A young hunter's quest for Loque'nahak results in an unexpected, unbreakable bond. Oneshot. Read and review, please!


My Angel and I

I breathed in deeply, allowing the hot, humid jungle air to fill my lungs as I straightened to observe the sky. The late morning sun was just breaking through the clouds, casting its rays on everything that met my eye. This was the place I would be spending the next few months, however long it would take to track down the elusive spirit beast, Loque'nahak.

Shading my eyes with a hand, I slowly turned my head, taking in the clearing from the cool safety of the low lying foliage. My gaze went to the ground next, but whatever tracks that any beast might have made were covered by the dense undergrowth–something, as I would find out, that helps and yet hampers even the expert tracker.

A loud caw disturbed the silence, or the near-silence that is the most one can find in a jungle teeming with life. When I looked to the source of the sound, my eyes widened. Perched upon a tall spire, surrounded by a white haze, as if a ray of sunshine had it in a spotlight, was the most beautiful bird I had ever laid eyes on. Creamy white plumage tumbling down from its neck, claws the colour of burnt gold gripping the rock.

I'd never seen nor heard tell of this magnificent creature before, and I needed to know more.

I slowly stepped out of my cover, and as if it sensed it was being watched, it looked down and our gazes locked, keen amber orbs staring into my own bright green. It tilted its head to the side, as if waiting for me to do something. I fell into a crouch, my eyes never leaving the roc's, and shuffled a few inches closer. The bird copied my movement, hopping forward a step. Emboldened by this, I started to creep even closer. I had barely moved when it cawed again, fluffing out its feathers aggressively. I knew enough to back off, letting it successfully defend its territory.

The next few days seemed to blur together. I spent my time watching the bird, inching ever closer to it and even starting to leave out slabs of meat in places I knew it would find them. The hard gleam in its eyes seemed to soften day by day. I smiled, just a little bit, when it gazed up into my eyes before snatching food right from my hand and flying back up to its nest.

This was the place that Loque'nahak, the spirit cat, was rumoured to appear. I was here for him.

Wasn't I?

The real surprise came on the sixth night I was there–at least, I'm fairly sure it was the sixth. The moon wasn't in sight, but the millions of stars painted the landscape in a faint silvery purple glow. The sight was so different from the skies of Dalaran or even Silvermoon that I was amazed every day when the sun set. But now I was so exhausted that I collapsed into the pile of assorted leaves and branches that had become my bed over the last few days. My eyes closed and I quickly fell into peaceful slumber.

It must have been in the middle of the night when faint rustling sounds woke me. I stirred, eyes narrowed to slits as I tried to discover the source of the noise. The first thing I noticed was the silhouette of a bird... _The_ bird. Its white feathers stood out somewhat as it balanced on a branch above me, standing perfectly still.

It was watching something.

Raising my head with minimal movement, I craned my neck to follow its gaze. What I saw made me tense, the hairs on the back of my neck rising in anticipation. It was a beast, clearly of the feline nature, with glowing red eyes and bristling fur. It was crouched low to the ground, head weaving back and forth like a snake as if stalking prey.

I realized two things at that moment. _I_ was its prey. It wasn't a pretty thought. But then I knew that if it wasn't for the presence of the roc above me, like an ivory angel sent to protect me, I would have been dead long before.

The moment was broken when the cat shook its head, growling low in its throat decisively, before turning away in search of an easier hunt.

I slowly looked up to see my saviour gazing at me, those amber eyes regarding me with nothing but compassion. Just as I lifted my arm, bent at the elbow, she fluttered down to rest on my forearm, as if each of us had known the other's intensions. I slowly reached out with my free hand, allowing my fingers to rest on the creature's head. At that moment, I could have sworn that I saw the hint of a smile in her features.

As the months passed by, melting together like Nutterbars on Hallow's End, I realized that this was one of the happiest times of my life. I enjoyed the solitude, with no one but the white roc to keep me company. The jungle was my home, the mountains that sloped upwards my backyard. Sometimes the air would be filled with my voice as I spoke at length on whatever came to mind. The bird would take her accustomed perch on my arm, listening attentively as I quietly debated the warmth of worg fur versus that of the lions found in the Barrens.

It made for a good working relationship too. We hunted together, my angel and I. I found it much easier to take down the larger beasts with the roc raking her talons down their fur and pecking at their eyes. More food for the both of us.

We started taking shifts after more predators started lurking about beyond the borders of our little clearing. I was used to the slight lack of sleep, but both of us could rest easy when we actually were sleeping, knowing that another pair of eyes was keeping guard for us.

As usual, there are always obstacles in the river of time, things that divert its course. It never stops altogether, and everything must come to an end as time flows on.

It must have been midday–the sun was at its zenith and every creature that I could think of was resting deep inside their respective burrows. The regular sleepy drone of insects surrounded me as I lay in my hammock of leaves, gently swinging to and fro and gazing up at the foliage above me, coloured light green by the sun shining through.

That was when he appeared. Muscles rippled under his spotted pelt as he stretched. His body was lean and strong, slender legs ending in furry paws tipped with sharp, deadly claws. He was tense, alert as he surveyed the clearing. It belonged to him–everything his eyes fell upon belonged to him. I couldn't even begin to describe those fiery blue orbs. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before.

His mouth and fangs glowed with the same cold blue fire. It fell to the ground like a smoky embodiment of the spirit beast's essence. He was ice. He was fire. He was Loque'nahak.

I became aware of the white roc next to me. She was under the same spell as I, staring at him with a mixture of admiration and wariness in her amber gaze. This was it, the moment that we both knew would come. She'd known all along my real purpose here, and she'd accepted it.

But as we turned to look at each other, I realized something important. I rested my hand on her shoulder, her neck feathers soft against my fingers. It was then that we came to an understanding.

We watched Loque'nahak melt into the shadows before turning and walking off together, my Angel and I.


End file.
